Truist Donates $5 Million to Atrium Health to Promote Equity in Access to Health Services and Develop the Workforce in Underserved Communities in North Carolina

For the purpose of promote equity in access to health services and develop the workforce in underserved communities in at least seven counties of North Carolinathe corporation Truist donated more than $5 million to Atrium Health. Part of this investment will expand medical assistance through buses that offer primary care in Spanish.

The initiative seeks to expand medical coverage in the counties of Mecklenburg, Gaston, Rowan, Anson, Stanly, Cabarrus y Rutherford, as well as promote labor development programs in communities far from urban centers.

“We are excited to announce a $5 million donation in partnership with the Atrium Health Foundation, to support the campaña ‘Giving Hope’. This is going to help the community Charlotte-Mecklenburg, providing medical care for underserved areas. In addition, it will also serve to provide career paths, which will allow for greater economic mobility and help the development of the workforce.”, commented the president of Truist Foundation, Lynette Bellto The News.

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Nearly half of Latinos do not have a primary care provider

The executive explained that with this investment what is sought is reduce disparities in health services and make a difference in the medical industry by offering new job opportunities.

As an example, he cited the most recent report of Access to Primary Care in Mecklenburg Countywhich indicates that one in four adults in the county do not have a primary care providerin the case of the Latino community this figure rises to 45%, that is, almost half of Latinos.

“That number keeps going up when you look at people of color. So by offering these healthcare access resources to underserved communities, we believe we can help end longstanding health disparities and increase healthcare affordability and access.Bell noted.

How do Truist and Atrium seek to eradicate inequalities in health, employment and economics?

With the donation of Truist of $5.05 million to the campaign “Giving Hope” of Atrium Health Foundationit seeks to promote four programs aimed at improving access to health, work and economic mobility for vulnerable members of the community in the area of Charlotte. The programs are:

1. Launch of two new primary care units or buses. These will travel to at-risk and high-need communities, serving as an entry point into the healthcare system.

2. Expand the Atrium Health program that provides perinatal supportconnecting women giving birth in low-income areas with doulas in their own communities.

3. Create a STEM learning lab (careers related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), which will provide training to local middle and high school students through mentoring and apprenticeship opportunities.

“Getting that help is a learning opportunity and helps build careers so that when these young people graduate they can consider working in the health field.Belle commented.

For its part, the team Atrium Health reported that this initiative will focus on students from low-income neighborhoods that, if it were not for this program, they would not have the possibility of accessing this specialized education.

4. Apoyo a los programas Restorative Pathways y Sterile Processing Career Pathways de Atrium Health. The first of these is intended to offer job opportunities to people deprived of their liberty to offer them long-term opportunities.

“We know for sure that workforce development in Charlotte has some of the highest numbers of inequality in the most underserved populations. For this reason, we want support to be provided to those who were previously incarcerated, eliminating the various barriers that make it difficult for them to obtain paid employment and a living wage. We know that this is also a way to reduce the recidivism rate so that there is no going back, a revolving door to come back and be given the opportunity to learn a new skill.”, commented the executive of Truist.

He programa Sterile Processing Career Pathways will enable 150 high-performing teammates in environmental services, materials management, dietary and patient services to learn new skills to achieve increasingly skilled roles, enhancing diversity and cultural competency in the Atrium Health workforce.

“For us, it is a multidisciplinary program that helps promote equity in access to health, but also build job development opportunities for underserved populations.”, concluded the president of Truist Foundation.

What services do mobile primary care units offer?

The units will serve as a point of entry into the healthcare system when traveling to at-risk and high-need communities. Through these buses, Atrium Health It will provide direct attention in Spanish within the units and will offer connections to additional services, when necessary. With this program it is expected to be able to serve 8,700 community members in the next three years.

“Mobile primary care units have been operating since 2022, but this service will now be expanded and will offer assistance in family medicine, with a nurse, a driver, a certified medical assistant, a laboratory, emergency and special care, but in general is family health care”, he explained Jennifer SnowAssistant Vice President of Community Health en Atrium Health.

Specifically, the service is intended for patients two years of age and older and will be offered diagnosis and treatments for short-term health problems (such as flu and strep throat), long-term illnesses (such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and arthritis) and minor injuries (such as sprains and cuts).

No appointment or insurance required

Snow specified that to receive this attention a previous appointment is not required and work will be done in conjunction with organizations to reach the Latino community.

“We will be working together with the Latin American Coalition and the Latin American Chamber of CommerceThis is part of this program, because we seek to address another problem: the lack of resources and transportation. We want to remove this barrier and that is why we hope to work with organizations that have helped us in the past with programs such as vaccinations or free coronavirus tests. They really helped us accomplish this job of educating the community and making them feel safe.“, said.

Offer financial help to pay for services

In accordance with Atrium Healththe bus primary care It works like any other medical clinic. That is, there will be charges for services. In the event the individual is uninsured or underinsured, the team will work with the patient to qualify for adequate insurance or Atrium’s Financial Assistance Program.

“Each situation is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. We believe that many of our community members in the areas we serve will qualify for Atrium’s Financial Assistance Program.”, he reported.

Where will the primary care unit be located and what will be its hours?

The new primary care units would be located in the áreas de Center City y Northeast/Lake Norman de Atrium Health, both considered in areas with high-need communities. The opening hours are from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The location and the days of attention are the following:

Monday

• En: David B. Waymer Recreation and Senior Center. Dirección: 14008 Holbrooks Rd, Huntersville, NC 28043.
• Stratford Richardson YMCA. Dirección: 1946 West Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28208.

mars

• Central Baptist Church Kannapolis. Address: 1810 Moose Road, Kannapolis, NC 28083.
• First Baptist Church of Bessemer City. Dirección: 107 E Washington Avenue, Bessemer City, NC 28016.
• HOLLA! Community Development Center. Address: 229 E. Main St, Morven, NC 28119.

Wednesday

• Isiah Westbrook Community Center. Dirección: 507 Roosevelt St, Badin, NC 28009.
• Stratford Richardson YMCA. Dirección: 1946 West Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28208.
• Washington Outreach Ministry. Dirección: 2007 Capernium Road, Cherryville, NC 28021.

Thursday

• Burnsville Fire Station 8. Address: 13380 NC-742, Polkton, NC 28135.
• Cabarrus Dream Center. Address: 280 Concord Parkway S, Concord, NC 28027.
• Grahamtown Community Center. Address: 129 1st St, Forest City, NC 28078.

The units could change their location as the weeks go by. To stay tuned for new changes, visit the following link.